We at IONS are thrilled to have had one of our most successful years ever in furthering the fields of noetic research and education. It is thanks to our many donors, partners and friends that we can proudly reflect on the past year, and be excited for what the coming year holds.

We are also grateful to our founder, Edgar Mitchell, who passed away this year. His visionary leadership in the field of consciousness studies has led the way for great progress, and we look forward to continuing his legacy long into the future.

Paul Temple, co-founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and chairman of the IONS Board of Directors for 17 years, passed away on November 29, 2016, surrounded by his beloved wife, Diane, and seven children. He died as he had lived – peaceful, conscious and ready for his next great adventure. Mr. Temple was a remarkable human being, and a long-time and passionate supporter of IONS. He leaves a legacy of invaluable service and support, and his absence will be deeply felt.

Spoiler alert: ‘The Force’ is strong with IONS.

Reflect for a moment on the galactic numbers of people who will go and see the next Star Wars blockbuster, Rogue One, released on December 16th. It will be, arguably, millions more than the number of people who attend religious services or, for that matter, consciousness research conferences.

Have you ever had the experience of your mind ceasing to spin during meditation?

Anecdotal evidence holds that meditators experience moments where it feels as if the mind simply stops, and is replaced by spaciousness, pure awareness, or some other ineffable experience. Despite hundreds of studies on meditation, previous research has not focused on whether or not meditation really helps with “monkey mind” (a term used by Buddhist scholars to describe the relentless spinning mind).

IONS President Cassandra Vieten spoke with Martin Wasserman on Future Talk, a cable TV show based in Silicon Valley that focuses on technology’s impact in the world. Cassi talked about the meaning of noetic science and the research IONS does to investigate the nature of consciousness, and its influence on human transformation and purpose. Cassi also offers a verbal glimpse of a developing experiment which explores the question: Can Virtual Reality enhance the healing capacity of the mind? Enjoy the conversation!